The Chairman of the US Senate s Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry was responding to Republication presidential candidate, Mitt Romney s remarks on Pakistan and other foreign policy issues in the third and last direct debate in Florida with President Obama (Democrat party s candidate for re-election).
Kerry, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said that Romney mentioned things about Pakistan without really having a solution. "You can t come into a presidential debate and just stand there and recite facts about a country. “Well, there are Taliban in Pakistan. Oh, they have nuclear weapons . That s not a policy. Everybody knows that," he opined.
"The question is what you are going to do about these things? And he had no concrete, fixed, certain, clear policy," Kerry said adding that the independent observers will also agree with his viewpoint. "The distinctions here are important in terms of who really knows what they are talking about. I think if you ask people around the world, they will tell you exactly that," he stressed.
However, former presidential candidate, John McCain disagreed with Senator Kerry and said that Romney s concerns about Pakistan were based on reality and this should be the basis of the US relations with Pakistan while moving forward after a troubled period during the 18 months or so.
"We have to stay engaged with Pakistan. But, the fact is that the influence of the ISI continues with the Haqqani network.
The fertilizers are still coming into Afghanistan that are killing Americans. We have to have it as the realistic basis (of relations with Pakistan)," he observed while talking about the repeated allegations of the US administration against Pakistan.
On other foreign policy issues, Senator John Kerry also accused Romney of not have a clear vision. He also called Iran a state sponsor of terror. "They are sponsoring terror with Hizbollah. They are sponsoring terror with Hamas. They are sponsoring terror in the Arabian penninsula and in other parts of the world. They threatened to kill even the Saudi amabassador in Washington, Dc at a restaurant. That s terrorism folks," he said in a firm tone.
"On Iran, the president could not have been more clear. Iran will not get a nuclear weapon. He (Obama) has made the toughest sanctions in the world come about. The president has worked hard to create a situation where we can have a peaceful diplomatic solution", he said adding that Romney was mentioned one country as a problem whereas the actual problem was terrorism.
"Iran has the ability to make a choice here to join the community of nations. You heard the president say it clearly tonight. The last choice is going to war. The first choice is to make diplomacy work. That s what the president is doing with great skill and with great effect," Kerry said while referring to the US economic and diplomatic sanctions on Iran.
He considered it encouraging that the Libyan people had stood-up against terrorism after the killing of the US ambassador in BenGhazi. "Libyans are free today and their democracy rose up after Chris Stevens was killed. 30,000 Libyans went after the militia. They are proving that the policy is working," he claimed.
"In Egypt, we obviously have disagreements with the (Muslim) Brotherhood, but the people of Egypt elected the Brotherhood. That s an election. That s democracy. And Mitt Romney blames the notion of having a democracy on Barack Obama, when that s the very thing that those people have been striving for", he argued.
He also criticized Romney s stance on China. "Even the Chamber of Commerce and major businesses in the US have said that if you name China a currency manipulator, you bring the economy of the US down, let alone create a global depression because of the impact. That is not a wise way to move forward. You really have to be a little more thoughtful and a little more judicious," he cautioned.
"This was a confused candidate tonight. This (Romney) was a man who does not have a clear sense of the world. And what you saw in opposition to that was a president (Obama) and a commander-in-chief, who has the record and this is not the time (to change that), because it is a dangerous world," he said while comparing both candidates.
"Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are the two most inexperienced candidates to run for president and vice-president in modern history. Never have we had a ticket with so little experience and in both debates it has shown up," he said while adding that the polls were not so significant at the end of the day. "Don t get seduced by these polls. It s always a tight race for presidency. Look at Gore, my race, they are always tight," he said.
Kerry, who lost 2004 president election to George Bush, blamed Republicans for the economic vows of the country. "The country is divided. You cannot be strong in the world, and the Americans know we have to be strong in the world, if our economy is not strong," he said.
"Tonight, the president so clearly showed that Mitt Romney has a completely flawed, phoney, absolutely fradulent approach to the economy. His numbers don t work. You cannot have a five trillion dollar tax cut. He is not telling the truth to the American people," he alleged.
- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC
Kerry, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said that Romney mentioned things about Pakistan without really having a solution. "You can t come into a presidential debate and just stand there and recite facts about a country. “Well, there are Taliban in Pakistan. Oh, they have nuclear weapons . That s not a policy. Everybody knows that," he opined.
"The question is what you are going to do about these things? And he had no concrete, fixed, certain, clear policy," Kerry said adding that the independent observers will also agree with his viewpoint. "The distinctions here are important in terms of who really knows what they are talking about. I think if you ask people around the world, they will tell you exactly that," he stressed.
However, former presidential candidate, John McCain disagreed with Senator Kerry and said that Romney s concerns about Pakistan were based on reality and this should be the basis of the US relations with Pakistan while moving forward after a troubled period during the 18 months or so.
"We have to stay engaged with Pakistan. But, the fact is that the influence of the ISI continues with the Haqqani network.
The fertilizers are still coming into Afghanistan that are killing Americans. We have to have it as the realistic basis (of relations with Pakistan)," he observed while talking about the repeated allegations of the US administration against Pakistan.
On other foreign policy issues, Senator John Kerry also accused Romney of not have a clear vision. He also called Iran a state sponsor of terror. "They are sponsoring terror with Hizbollah. They are sponsoring terror with Hamas. They are sponsoring terror in the Arabian penninsula and in other parts of the world. They threatened to kill even the Saudi amabassador in Washington, Dc at a restaurant. That s terrorism folks," he said in a firm tone.
"On Iran, the president could not have been more clear. Iran will not get a nuclear weapon. He (Obama) has made the toughest sanctions in the world come about. The president has worked hard to create a situation where we can have a peaceful diplomatic solution", he said adding that Romney was mentioned one country as a problem whereas the actual problem was terrorism.
"Iran has the ability to make a choice here to join the community of nations. You heard the president say it clearly tonight. The last choice is going to war. The first choice is to make diplomacy work. That s what the president is doing with great skill and with great effect," Kerry said while referring to the US economic and diplomatic sanctions on Iran.
He considered it encouraging that the Libyan people had stood-up against terrorism after the killing of the US ambassador in BenGhazi. "Libyans are free today and their democracy rose up after Chris Stevens was killed. 30,000 Libyans went after the militia. They are proving that the policy is working," he claimed.
"In Egypt, we obviously have disagreements with the (Muslim) Brotherhood, but the people of Egypt elected the Brotherhood. That s an election. That s democracy. And Mitt Romney blames the notion of having a democracy on Barack Obama, when that s the very thing that those people have been striving for", he argued.
He also criticized Romney s stance on China. "Even the Chamber of Commerce and major businesses in the US have said that if you name China a currency manipulator, you bring the economy of the US down, let alone create a global depression because of the impact. That is not a wise way to move forward. You really have to be a little more thoughtful and a little more judicious," he cautioned.
"This was a confused candidate tonight. This (Romney) was a man who does not have a clear sense of the world. And what you saw in opposition to that was a president (Obama) and a commander-in-chief, who has the record and this is not the time (to change that), because it is a dangerous world," he said while comparing both candidates.
"Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are the two most inexperienced candidates to run for president and vice-president in modern history. Never have we had a ticket with so little experience and in both debates it has shown up," he said while adding that the polls were not so significant at the end of the day. "Don t get seduced by these polls. It s always a tight race for presidency. Look at Gore, my race, they are always tight," he said.
Kerry, who lost 2004 president election to George Bush, blamed Republicans for the economic vows of the country. "The country is divided. You cannot be strong in the world, and the Americans know we have to be strong in the world, if our economy is not strong," he said.
"Tonight, the president so clearly showed that Mitt Romney has a completely flawed, phoney, absolutely fradulent approach to the economy. His numbers don t work. You cannot have a five trillion dollar tax cut. He is not telling the truth to the American people," he alleged.
- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC
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